East and West, manufacturing and innovation—Shanghai and London, two major centers of life sciences, are building a bridge of industrial cooperation between the Huangpu River and the Thames.
The 2025 Shanghai International Biomedical Industry Week recently concluded, but the afterglow of this grand event in the East has not yet faded, and the global life science community's attention has already turned to the upcoming London Life Science Week in November. The presence of Angela Kukula, Head of Life Sciences at London Development Agency, indicates a closer resonance between these two important global life science cities.
The Shanghai International Biomedical Industry Week adopts a "1+1+15+N" structure, including one opening event, one results exhibition, 15 thematic forums, and N series of events throughout the year. Attendees include top scientists such as Gregg Semenza, 2019 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and Xie Xiaoliang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The opening ceremony launched the construction of three high-end medical device industry clusters in Pudong New Area, Minhang District, and Jiading District, showcasing Shanghai's rapid growth in the biopharmaceutical industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period—the industry scale is projected to increase from 761.714 billion yuan in 2021 to 984.702 billion yuan in 2024.
Angela Kukula's participation in this Shanghai Industry Week conveyed a strong signal of cooperation. She pointed out that Shanghai demonstrates strong large-scale production and manufacturing capabilities, while London excels in original innovation and early-stage research, presenting an excellent opportunity for collaboration between the two cities.
According to London Medical City's "Global Cities Comparison Report," London ranks among the top five globally in five dimensions, including research and innovation, medical research environment, and talent ecosystem, with its medical research environment consistently ranking first in the world. Currently, London is home to over 2,400 life science companies and more than 180 business incubators and accelerators.
The UK government has listed life sciences as one of its eight key industries in its "Modern Industrial Strategy," outlining a clear roadmap: to make the UK a leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030 and third globally by 2035. This goal is being advanced through a series of concrete measures, including investing £600 million in a health data research service platform and reducing clinical trial approval times to under 150 days.
Regarding the innovation ecosystem, London has formed seven major industry clusters, from the White City Innovation District to the East London super-cluster, constituting a complete innovation chain. Simultaneously, London is home to numerous AI and data-driven life sciences companies, which have received over $2.9 billion in venture capital and support from institutions such as the Alan Turing Institute and Google DeepMind.
It is noteworthy that Sino-British cooperation in the life sciences field has yielded fruitful results. The acquisition agreement between Macquarie Medical and Penlon, a UK anesthesia and respiratory equipment manufacturer, the promotion of AI-driven chest X-ray technology by Nine Peaks Medical in the UK, and the acquisition of Pfizer's UK factory's R&D center by Asymchem are all successful examples of Sino-British life sciences cooperation.
Following the Shanghai Industry Week, London Life Sciences Week 2025 will be held in London from November 16-20. This annual event, co-organized by London Development Agency, London Medical City, and the UK BioIndustry Association, will feature over 50 events, including a Welcome to London dinner, the "Future of Life Sciences" exhibition, and the LSX European Investment Showcase.
From Shanghai to London, the global innovation chain in life sciences is becoming increasingly interconnected. Two cities, two major events, together weave a future landscape for the biopharmaceutical industry. In this global field of life sciences, collaboration and exchange are the core driving forces for progress.
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